Yes, Master, page 16
“Are you sure you want to see?”
He was strung so tight he did just about rip the dress off, but he maintained control—by a hair. “Yes.” That was all he could manage without sounding like an idiot.
Finally, she was finishing what she had started. Drake cursed when he saw what she didn’t have on underneath the dress. She wasn’t wearing any panties! And as she pulled the dress off and threw it on the steps below, he watched her smile with feline cunning. He looked her over from head to toe. She still had a white tank on but that was all, and she looked like every horny teenage boy’s wet dream. Her nipples were hard and poking at the material of her top, and she stood with her legs together, making her look sexy and prim all at the same time.
He reached out and touched one hardened nipple with his thumb and she practically jumped off the step she was standing on. She was as wound up as he was, and Drake knew just the thing to take the edge off.
He went down another step until he was lower than her, and gently ordered, “Sit down.” He stood there until she obeyed him. She looked hesitant, but she did sit, and it thrilled him that she was so willing to do what he asked. In fact, unless he was way off base, he thought Ruby liked it when he gave her orders. Maybe it was because she was so self-sufficient, handling every other aspect of her life without an ounce of help from anyone. Surrendering in the bedroom seemed to turn her on.
Drake lowered himself until he was eye level with her legs. He looked into her blue eyes and kept her snared in his sights while he used his hands to pull her legs apart. When he had them as far as they would go, his eyes left hers and rested on her mound. Her neatly trimmed red curls were shining in the little bit of light created by the lamp downstairs, and he could just barely make out her tiny pink clitoris. She was all soft and swollen. Suddenly, as if he was willing it to happen, she dampened and a tiny drop of moisture trickled out.
His head lowered of its own accord without thinking beyond licking that one drop of dew. He touched her opening with his tongue, and she threw her head back and moaned his name. He felt her legs starting to come together as if to stop the sensations she was feeling, but he captured both thighs in his callused hands and pulled them apart again. He held them firm while he stroked her clit and sucked at her like she was a ripe fruit.
He would never be able to get enough.
Ruby had never done anything exciting or wild until Drake. Bryan had always made love to her in the dark. He’d surely never given her oral sex on the staircase. It aroused her, and the feel of Drake’s sensual mouth scattered her inhibitions. He licked and sucked in all the right spots. Just when Ruby thought it couldn’t get any better, Drake’s tongue probed between the folds of her opening. He fucked her in and out with his tongue, flicking and playing with her clit. From out of nowhere, Ruby came undone, screaming his name and wrapping her legs tight around Drake.
Drake held her open for another minute and kept his tongue inside of her while her spasms bayed, sucking in the last of her juices. He licked her one last, teasing time, then rose up to look at her. Her head was thrown back and her body was arched upward. The position put her breasts high in the air and she looked completely and thoroughly sated. But Drake was far from finished with his feast.
He had only just begun.
Ruby had never felt so deliciously sleepy in all her life. She loved the way Drake used his tongue, she loved how he got that fierce look in his eyes when he saw what he wanted, and he wanted her. She loved the way he could be so utterly gentle and yet so demanding at the same time. And she loved . . . him. Oh God, that couldn’t be right, could it? Could she really have fallen in love with her next door neighbor? Before she had time to consider all the ramifications of that thought, he was pulling her to her feet. She allowed him to turn her around and lead her up the stairs. She would walk through fire if he asked her, and that thought didn’t sit right with Ruby. She had wanted casual sex, a lover, not someone to give her heart to. Connie’s warning to guard her heart sprang to mind. Yes, Ruby would need to give that advice some serious thought later, when she didn’t have Drake’s strong fingers caressing her backside. Such wonderful strength and yet so sweetly gentle. Ruby felt herself sway, and just that quick she was cradled in Drake’s strong arms. He pressed her against his chest and carried her up the remaining steps.
Once they reached the top of the stairs, it was a simple matter of stepping into the first room they came upon. It was dark inside, but still light enough from the open window and doorway to see his big wrought-iron bed. He took her to it and laid her down on top of the black comforter. Her bare skin slid sinuously against the soft material.
Drake left Ruby and walked to the window. He didn’t dare look at her for fear of losing the tenuous control he had over his libido. And he vowed that nothing would ruin the magic of the night.
He closed the blinds and turned back to the woman who had his insides tied up in knots. Her curvy figure stood out against the dark color of the bedspread.
He walked back over to her and sat down on the edge, then flicked on the dim lamp sitting on his nightstand. Now he could look his fill, and he did. He’d know how beautiful she would appear lying on his bed. With her pale ivory skin and sweep of red hair, she looked like a blazing diamond resting against the black-as-night spread.
Though while he looked down at her, watching her expression change from blissful contentment to one of a shy butterfly, he realized what he felt for her went far beyond the lust and obsessive need that he had felt for her from the start. He had wanted her body since he’d moved to the neighborhood, but now he wanted more, and he wouldn’t give her up until he got what he wanted. Drake knew he acted like a spoiled child who wouldn’t give up his precious toy, but he’d never before felt such an overpowering need to treasure and possess. He had always kept women at arm’s length, enjoying them, yes, but never giving too much of himself. Ruby had stolen into his heart like a thief in the night.
He wondered what that meant exactly, but he didn’t want to take the time to think about it. Not now with her looking all loose-limbed and sexy. Now he only wanted to see her face change back to that satisfied expression again. Only this time he’d be embedded deep inside her tight body while he sailed over the edge with her.
Drake leaned down and placed a loving kiss to Ruby’s cheek. Then he spread kisses over her entire face, enjoying the feel of her soft skin under his lips. He took it further by trailing little touches of his lips along her jawline and down her throat. She instinctively arched, giving him access to the vein that pulsed erratically in her neck.
And he took what she freely offered.
Taking his time, he kissed his way down until he found just the right spot. Then, without warning, he bit her. It was the light scraping of teeth against soft womanly flesh that sent him into overdrive. When he felt her shiver and whimper for more, he reveled in his own success. His tongue flicked out of its own volition, licking the spot he’d just bitten. Then he sucked on her, enjoying the catlike sounds she made and feeling the vibrations of her body under his mouth.
Drake kissed his way down to the edge of her tank top and stopped. He raised up only long enough to yank the scrap of cotton over her head and throw it to the floor, before tasting the sweetness of one nipple. Licking it into a hard bead and sucking as much of her breast into his mouth as he could. But when he spread his work-hardened hand over the other breast and pressed down, massaging in little circles, it drew incoherent moans from Ruby.
He immediately stopped what he was doing and stood up. With his chest heaving and fists clenched, Drake waited.
Ruby blinked her eyes open, staring at Drake in uncertainty.
“Undress me,” he gently ordered.
Ruby trembled slightly, but she managed to sit up and move her legs over the side of the bed. Drake stepped between them. He was so close that she could smell the clean scent of his soap and the musky heat of his skin. His stance put her at eye level with his groin, and she was suddenly nervous. Her hands shook as she reached for the button of his jeans. Slowly, she popped it out of its hole, then looked up at him for reassurance. She found none. Drake watched her with such single-minded focus that she felt her every nerve ending tingle.
Sensing her hesitation, he thrust his hips forward. “Continue,” he demanded in a low voice.
She pulled his T-shirt out from the waistband of his jeans and dragged it upward, revealing tanned, flat abdominal muscles. Drake quickly grabbed the shirt away from her and pulled it up over his head. He threw it carelessly to the floor and waited. Ruby’s gaze shifted to his chest. His dark chest hair took her eyes on a sexy journey downward, only to have it end when she reached his unbuttoned pants. She frowned, then eagerly grasped his hips with one hand and carefully lowered the zipper with the other. All the nervousness was gone, replaced by a fervent need to see this man in all his glory. She pushed at his jeans until they were wrapped around his ankles. He stood like that, unmoving, his hands fisted at his sides, staring at her.
The only thing keeping Ruby from sweet delight was a pair of black briefs. His manhood swelled and strained against the fabric. She hooked her fingers inside the waistband and carefully lowered them. His cock sprang free and she found herself gasping for air. He was so large, so full, and Ruby’s hands had a mind of their own as they took hold of him and squeezed. She was helpless to stop her head from descending; she would die if she didn’t taste him. So, she didn’t waste a second as she sucked the entire length of him into her mouth. She heard him groan.
“Enough,” he murmured, tugging her off him.
Drake quickly took off his shoes, then stepped out of his jeans and underwear. He straddled Ruby on the bed and said, “Playtime’s over, baby.”
Then his mouth was swooping down on hers in a bruising kiss. Ruby melted, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him back with just as much passion and heat. It was almost scary how hungry they were for each other. She ached all over as she felt her desire start to mount all over again.
He deliberately pried open her mouth and delved inside, plundering her. He took little nibbles and tastes of her lower lip like she was a noontime snack. He tasted her cherry lip gloss and licked what was left of it off her mouth, then there was nothing left but the sweet taste of woman. His woman.
Drake raised his head at last and looked down at her. With her eyes closed and her lips parted and swollen, she looked like . . . sex. She was vibrant and lush and all that a woman should be. Her hair was all mussed and her face was flushed from the fire that was burning inside of her. Her breasts were full and rose to tight peaks. But there was something else he saw. His mark. He stared at a spot on her neck and saw the bruising, biting kiss that had left a smudged purplish bruise behind, and something inside of him snapped. He felt a primal need to mate, to take his woman with force and fiery heat.
“Ruby.” His voice was a scrape of gravel in his throat. He sat motionless and waited till her eyes fluttered open. “Turn over.”
He rose up on his knees and moved back, allowing her enough space to do as he bid. When she was finally lying on her stomach, he simply grabbed her waist with both hands and raised her up on her knees. Once she was on all fours, he had a perfect view of her round bottom, but her legs were shyly pressed together. Drake forced one hand between them and spread her knees apart. She was completely open to him now, and he groaned like an animal in pain. She was all pink and swollen and ready for him. Her pretty red pubic hair covered her protectively.
God, she was magnificent.
Drake reached out and covered her mound with his hand, cupping her. “Mine,” he said an instant before plunging one finger inside of her. Ruby’s back arched and she fairly purred for him. He stroked her inner muscles and felt them tighten around his finger. She was all slippery heat and Drake couldn’t wait another second. He felt an urgency he’d never felt before, and he knew that only with Ruby would he feel such an intense burning pain.
Drake reached over, opened the drawer to his nightstand, and drew out a condom. He ripped open the foil wrapper and rolled on the protection. Then he covered her with his body, anchoring his arms on either side of her and willing himself to wait. “Ruby, look at me.”
When she looked back over her shoulder at him, her eyes were all dreamy and half-closed. He reached one hand between their bodies and positioned himself. Then, while their eyes held each other captive, he plunged into her. She threw her head back and moaned long and deep. She screamed his name over and over again, begging for him.
It was his defeat.
He rose up, grasped her hips, and held her still for his invasion, then drove into her hard and fast. He was buried so deep. So damn deep. He cursed at the delicious squeeze. It was nothing like the slow, easy loving he’d wanted to give her. It was always the same with Ruby. Hot and hard. Neither of them willing to take it easy. She matched him perfectly. It was basic and animalistic, and Drake nearly howled at the moon.
He pushed at her, forcing her further over the edge. Wanting more from her. He suspected he would always push Ruby to her limits. He bucked and thrust into her, and she went wild beneath him. She threw her head from side to side, screaming his name. All at once, Drake felt her muscles clench him like a lover’s fist. In a perfect kind of rhythm, they both flew up and over, disintegrating into a thousand tiny shards of glass.
He stayed inside of her for another minute, not willing to let her go. He could never get enough of this woman, and somehow he doubted that even a lifetime would be enough. He would always be insatiable where Ruby was concerned.
Finally, reluctantly, he pulled out of her. She collapsed onto the bed, looking as if she’d run a marathon. Drake smiled and kissed her cheek. “Be right back,” he whispered as he got up and went to the bathroom to dispose of the condom and clean up. When he was through, he came back to the bed and lay down next to her. She didn’t move a muscle, just whined like a petulant child. He scooted her over and curled his body protectively around hers. Drake reached down to the foot of the bed and covered them both with the extra blanket that lay there.
For a long while, Drake simply lay there watching her while she peacefully slept in the cradle of his arms. He gently moved her hair away from her face and ran his fingers through it, loving the silky curls against his skin. He wondered what she was dreaming, and if she ever dreamed of him. He hoped so, because he sure as hell dreamed of her. She was in his head whether he was sleeping, eating, working, or showering. She was everywhere all the time. And he knew why: Drake cared about her. In such a short space of time, she’d tiptoed into his heart and held on tight. The crazy part was, he sort of liked her there. But how did she feel about him? Was Drake more than a passing fancy for Ruby? Or was she merely taking a walk on the wild side? He’d find out soon, because the not knowing was killing him.
9
The morning sun filled the room, effectively tearing Ruby out of her dream. She’d been having the most amazing dream about Drake too. The two of them were on vacation together in Hawaii. Drake was being so sweet and romantic, and Ruby wished she could fall back asleep and see where the dream would lead. But that wasn’t going to happen. She sat up and looked around the room, but came up empty. “Drake?” she called out, to no avail.
Ruby got out of the bed and grabbed a white T-shirt hanging off the end of the bed, then headed to the adjacent bathroom. By the time she was presentable, a half hour had passed and there was still no sign of Drake. She went searching and found him coming up from the basement. He was sweaty and only had on a pair of gray workout shorts. Ruby wanted to reach out and caress his glistening pecs, but thought better of it when she saw his angry expression.
“What were you doing?”
“Working out,” he said, as he leaned down and kissed her. “Morning, beautiful.”
The words and the kiss sent butterflies fluttering around inside her stomach. “Good morning.”
His expression hardened. “I would’ve woken you properly, but I needed to work off some aggression.”
She frowned. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“A client I did some work for is refusing to pay for a job. Nothing gets under my skin more than being ripped off.”
“I can understand that,” she admitted, getting angry on his behalf. “Did the workout help?”
He shook his head. “Not so much, but seeing your pretty face is doing wonders for my mood.” He motioned her back up the stairs and Ruby went willingly.
Drake could easily get used to seeing Ruby in his home every morning. Wearing his T-shirt and looking all sleep-rumpled and sexy. Damn, he wanted her again. He had thought to make her breakfast. Maybe try to impress her with his culinary skills, but that wasn’t about to happen if he kept watching her ass twitch back and forth in the shirt. Great, now he was hard as iron. So much for feeding the woman.
“Drake?”
His voice was hoarse when he answered, “Yeah?”
“We need to talk . . . about us.”
Ah hell, that didn’t sound good. “Let me get washed up first, okay?”
“Of course. I can make breakfast if you want.” She went straight to the bed and sat down.
“First things first,” he replied as he started stripping out of his shorts. He held back a grin when he caught Ruby staring at his cock. “Hold that thought, I’ll be right back.”
Drake went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. The hot water felt good on his overworked muscles. He thought of what she’d said about wanting to talk and a knot formed in his stomach. Was she getting bored with him? What would he do if she wanted to call it quits? She was so different from the other women he’d dated. Ruby was kind and compassionate, sensual and loving, and so damn filled with life. The thought of never making love to her again, never hearing her laughter, her cries of passion, sent fear rushing through his system.
